Gail Towns joins university relations staff
Oct. 1, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- A veteran journalist with a background in higher education public relations has joined the staff of Western Michigan University's Office of University Relations as a news and communications specialist.
Gail H. Towns comes to the University from Atlanta Technical College, where she served for two years as director of public information. In that role, she was responsible for a wide range of public relations, special events, marketing and community relations efforts.
Prior to that, she worked for seven years as a reporter at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, covering the Atlanta Public Schools as well as the area's higher education offerings. During her tenure in that position, Towns covered breaking news stories and was part of a reporting team responsible for an award-winning series on racial disparities in the Atlanta schools' gifted education programs. She also served for a year as the paper's first graphics reporter, working with graphic artists and page designers to improve the information graphics used to illustrate news stories.
At WMU, Towns' duties will include covering news for the College of Education and a number of University research units, including the Evaluation Center and the Center for Community Asset Building.
Towns earned a bachelor's degree from Clark Atlanta University in 1990 and a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1991. She also was a media fellow at the University of Chicago's School of Social Work in 1994.
Media contact: Cheryl Roland, 616 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu